Hear me, Sahra, and pay heed:
the well-made poem has no price,
it’s no jumble of words,
not just drums and empty songs…
It is that which can’t be bought at mart,
that anxiety, those emotions,
it mirrors the people’s needs
and bears their well-being worthily;
it is the warning cry,
the hand that wards off danger,
it never picks one over another,
but points out the correct path;
it is the past’s inheritor,
it is always to the point – select from it
the essential flesh and marrow.
– ‘Hadraawi’ Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame
December 31 2025-January 1 2026
Not in my wildest dreams would I ever imagine spending the new year in Mogadishu. My seven-country tour from Syria to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Eritrea, and Djibouti ends in Somalia, once considered as the most dangerous country in the world. The civil war lasted from 1991 until the mid-90s when President Siad Barre was ousted. Then a new conflict emerged in 2009 despite the Djibouti Agreement the year before. Following the Somali Armed Forces regaining control of Mogadishu, the decade of 2010s saw a gradual return of the Somali diaspora rebuilding infrastructure and opening cafes, hotels, and restaurants. But it is not until the 2020s when adventurous travellers put Somalia on the map.
Like other post-conflict countries such as Libya, a visit to Somalia is likely to be quick and comes with a steep price tag. In fact, it is the shortest turn around time in my backpacking career: a total of twenty-four hours that set me back five hundred dollars. Only the gorilla trek in Rwanda tops that. Not ideal at all – how I would have loved to venture to Kismayo and Puntland, and the mountains and the waterfalls, or simply linger in the desert – but then I have learned to accept the dictates of geopolitical conditions and, above all, security.
With a letter of invitation from Dalmar Plus, the evisa took less than twenty-four hours. The itinerary looks simple and straightforward – Mogadishu – but this is not your regular capital city. Sunset in the Nimow desert, Ali Jimale Mosque by night, Lido beach in the new year morning, the iconic lighthouse and the once picturesque corniche, the photogenic Hamar Weyne fish market, the labyrinth streets of the old city, and so much more. From the first Mogadishu Mall to the newest coffee chain, passing through the Heritage Hotel and Italian colonial architecture – and many, many military check points in between – meeting Somalian artists and entrepreneurs, seeing locals enjoying a bowling night out and a holiday dip in the Red Sea, it is one of the most intense travel experiences reserved for the intrepid.
I Think of You, Mogadishu
An indirect flight from Djibouti to Mogadishu takes me to Addis Ababa on new year’s eve where agents of Ethiopian Airlines scrutinize my passport and Somali visa multiple times. I see no other apparent foreign traveller and the Boeing 737 is more than half empty. Taking advantage of 30 minutes of transit and, for once, free and reliable wifi, I report safety and wish my family and friends happy new year. I think of you and am on my way to Mogadishu! with many kiss emojis.
The staff of Dalmar Plus runs everything like clockwork from my arrival to departure. I meet my Somali trinity: Ali, my exuberant guide, Adot, my unseeming security detail, and Ahmed, the made-in-Mogadishu driver. Off we head to the dunes of the Nimow Desert, the most scenic spot in Mogadishu, just in time for an epic once-in-a-lifetime new year’s eve sunset by the Indian Ocean. I love deserts and never tire of spending time in the dunes, especially the Sahara in Algeria and Tunisia. Imagine, this one stretches all the way to Djibouti and Ethiopia. How I would have loved to stay, but Mogadishu still has much to offer…
Next stop: Nimow beach where party goers start to congregate. Here I meet Mohammed, a fellow Canadian and a Somalian returning from Toronto. He greets me like a lost kin and offers us fresh watermelon juice and appetizers. The music starts to pick up at Tropical Village, a beach hotel he built and owns, and I imagine spending all night here dancing to Somalian tunes. The night is still young, but Ali, my guide, already starts yawning. You’re not going to bed now, are you, on new year’s eve? I tease him. The concept of réveillon seems alien to him, so I am not going to impose. And Somalia is a dry country any way. Fresh juices will do for this year. I thank Mohammed and we take off for a magical night tour of Mogadishu, passing through the city centre, the iconic Arco di Trionfo Popolare/Arch of the People’s Triumph, and the latest and biggest Hayat Mall, making a pit stop at the Ali Jimale Mosque before arriving at a bowling alley. How wonderful to see Somalians – women and men, old and young – bidding farewell to 2025 with such joy and abandon. I stay up till the first minutes of 2026, sending a Happy New Year video from the dunes of Mogadishu to my little universe…
Mogadishu Old & New
Adot, my security detail, disappears for another job with the military, so I spend the morning of the new year in Lido Beach with Ali and Ige, both guides, but sans guard, a little security detail that might make some nervous. Just a little over a year ago, a terrorist attack by Al Shabab at the Lido Beach View Hotel left nearly 40 civilians dead and many more injured. It is so hard to imagine such a tragedy in this popular spot beloved by locals, especially at the end of long, hot, busy days. But Mogadishans have clearly reclaimed their beach, as the morning scene is one of joy, normalcy, and celebration. Families are out and about, children play beach football, and fishermen sell their catch… and I feel privileged to be there, sharing such a special occasion as a brief visitor.
The afternoon begins with a pit stop at the Unknown Soldiers’ Monument – I imagine there are quite a few in this country – followed by a tour of the corniche, visiting the iconic lighthouse and Batera House, both in ruins, before making our way to the famous fish market. Fish markets are often so lively and cultural – like Tsukiji in Tokyo or Saint Louis in Senegal – an economic hub, offering glimpses of vibrant local life. The sight of many killed sharks of various kinds shocks the casual visitor, and I wonder how Somali waters is regulated – if at all – for sustainability.
Finally, we venture into the photogenic old city, with layers of history from the ancient port of Sarapion as mentioned in 1st-century Greek texts to a flourishing medieval city with Arab and Persian influences, trading ivory, gold, and sandalwood, and the Italian colonial era with grandiose mansions and buildings along wide avenues. Heavily damaged by decades of war, this once “white Pearl of the Indian Ocean” might have lost its former glory but has kept its soul. What joy to stroll around the residential neighbourhood to see locals enjoying a cup of coffee, running errands, or fetching a quick pasta lunch. I can completely envision a longer stay, taking more documentary portraits of Somalians rebuilding life one day at a time…
The clock is ticking, with my departure flight back to Addis Ababa at six in the evening. A few more cultural visits include meetings with 4C, a mural painter, and Abdulnasir, a Swedish Somalian entrepreneurial returnee who has created a popular restaurant chain, and, finally, a camel farm. What a whirlwind!
I understand how the ubiquitous military check points and general unstable regional situation could deter most travellers. My lightning quick visit to Mogadishu leaves me desire for more. May peace come to stay in Somalia and the world gets to experience this unique country. Till then, mahadsanidin, and a very happy new year to you all!
I ask little, I expect less
I can sleep on the floor, I have nothing
Huddle in the corner
For the joy that in the morning,
You will be here.
– Efo Dela, I Think About You, Mogadishu
This concludes my seven-country tour in post-conflict societies in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa in 2025 from Syria to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. A scheduled trip to Yemen as part of this project was cancelled due to renewed conflict in the country at the time of writing.
Syria: on the Road to Damascus
All Content © 2026 by Jennifer Chan
Jennifer Chan Photography 